Recently the Special Education wing has undergone major changes such as receiving a new principal. Cheryl Askew, who previously worked in Decatur City schools, is now the new principal over the Special Education wing.
“I previously worked in Decatur City as a speech therapist and I was an assistant to the Special Education coordinator. When I heard about the opportunity here I could not pass it up. I live in the Sparkman community I feel like I should do my best to use my expertise to help the children in my community,” Askew said.
Askew plans on making positive changes to the program, one of which will be better connecting the Special Education wing with the rest of the school.
“I plan to help the Special Education wing merge more with the whole school. A lot of people think that it is the Special Education program and Sparkman High School, so we are going to merge and be one school,” Askew said.
Working with the Special Education students has always been a passion for Askew. Although she says that she has been working in the same position “for a long time,” she still holds high regards for what she does.
“Working with the Special Education program is just something I have always wanted to do. When I was in school there was a Special Education child in my neighborhood, and I always thought about them and why I had the privilege of going to school and they didn’t,” Askew said.
Although Askew has only been in the principal position for a short amount of time, her and her staff are already brainstorming new ideas and working together smoothly.
“My favorite thing about the Special Education wing is my team. We are building a new team since we have had some changes. Overall we are not just building a team but also a family. Everyone has the same goals and everyone wants to serve our children, so I think that is going to be my favorite thing,” Askew said.
The Special Education teachers and staff, such as Amy Alsup, are excited about the recent changes that Askew is making and the plans that she has for the future.
“We love the changes that Mrs. Askew is making. She is great and she has great ideas and she comes with many years of experience in the school system. We are all on board with what is going on and we are taking it day by day and working off of each other,” Alsup said.